NC State Baseball adds JUCO transfer Josh Hogue

NC State received a pair of news items regarding the 2024 team on Monday, gaining one player via commitment and losing another via a professional contract.

With the 2023 MLB Draft signing deadline set for Tuesday at 5:00pm, Kalae Harrison signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Harrison signing was to be expected, but as the deadline neared and without any word on the subject, a sliver of hope began to appear that he would return for the 2024 season. Alas, that’s not to be, but Harrison showed up big for the Wolfpack in 2023, posting a .313/.436/.426 line across 246 plate appearances. His ability to move from second base to shortstop to solidify that position helped NC State on their second half run that secured an NCAA Regional appearance.

In terms of roster additions for next season, the Wolfpack secured a commitment from junior college transfer outfielder Josh Hogue.

Hogue is a 6’2, 185 pound native of North Palm Beach, Florida, who will have three years of eligibility with NC State. He played left field for the Santa Fe College Saints in 2023, earning 1st Team NJCAA Region 8 honors, as well as 1st Team All Mid-Florida Conference honors. The left-handed hitting Hogue mashed to a .412/.481/.608 line across 231 plate appearances, notching 12 doubles, 3 triples, and 7 home runs to go along with 65 runs scored and 41 runs batted in. He posted a 6.5% walk rate and 12.1% strikeout rate while also going 11-of-14 on stolen base attempts.

With NC State having lost six outfielders off the 2023 team (Trevor Candelaria, Parker Nolan, Will Marcy, Carter Trice, Dominic Pilolli, Michael Gupton), bringing in reinforcements is huge, especially one who put together such a prolific year a season ago. As it stands right now, senior Noah Soles, junior Chase Nixon, and sophomore Eli Serrano - who played first base all of 2023 - are the only returning outfielders with experience. Redshirt-junior Carson Falsken is listed as a utility man on the Pack’s roster, but he has yet to play a game in the outfield for NC State.